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Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez
Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez was an ancient immortal of Egyptian origin who was beheaded by the Kurgan. He sought out Connor MacLeod, and took him under his wing, teaching him the rules of the Game. Most importantly, he warned Connor about the Kurgan, who had given him his first death, and prepared Connor to face him — believing that Connor would be the one to end his reign of terror. =Personal History= Born in Ancient Eqypt under the name Tak Ne, Ramírez's earliest chapter in life remains shrouded in mystery. He married twice in his first 400 years of life, losing both wives to old age. Towards the year 590 B.C., Tak Ne met, courted, and married Shakiko, daughter of the master swordsmith Masamune. As a wedding gift, the weapon master forged Tak Ne a magnificent ivory-handled katana. Tak Ne would keep the weapon with him until his dying day. Eventually, the day arrived when Tak Ne first lost his father-in-law, and then his wife. In grief, he swore off any further committed relationships to mortals. He would never remarry. In the year 476 BC, Tak Ne had become a citizen and soldier of Sparta. When the Persian Army invaded Greece, he would face his first battle with his future nemesis, The Kurgan, in the Battle of Plataea. Tak Ne's katana proved more than a match for the Kurgan's crude blade of the time, and it was only a fall down a cliff that saved the evil Immortal. Tak Ne would encounter Kurgan twice afterward, once in Babylonia and again in ancient China, before their final confrontation in Scotland. By 1541, at the age of 2,437 years old, Tak Ne was living in Spain, working as the Chief Metallurgist to King Charles V under his new name of "Ramírez." He had studied swordsmanship from the world's most skilled immortals, including the sorceror Nakano and Graham Ashe. By this time he also had a strong feud with the Kurgan, and had followed his dangerous adversary's movements for some time. Thus, when word reached Ramírez of the Kurgan's attempt on the life of a young Scottish warrior, the ancient immortal decided to investigate. Thus did Ramírez introduce himself into the lives of Connor and Heather MacLeod. Connor and Ramirez enjoyed a good friendship, rising from a father-son relation to that of brothers and equals. Ramírez took the Highlander as his student, teaching Connor the finer points of the Game, the Gathering, and on living as an Immortal. He was a strict and demanding teacher, never hesitating to humble MacLeod the moment he made a mistake. Although their training lasted for a very short time, Ramirez left an indelible impression on the young Highlander — the value of fine skill over brute force, a taste of the theatrical, the wonder of the world beyond Scotland, and most of all, the connection between "all living things." Ramírez was also quick to forecast a dark future in Connor's relationship to Heather. He solemly advised Connor to leave his wife, reminding the young MacLeod of the Immortal inability to bear children, and of the inevitable pain of loss from old age. As his example, Ramírez related his past with Shakiko, and the emotional price he payed. Despite showing his disapproval when Connor refused, Ramírez still chose to respect his student's decison. In 1542, while Connor was away hunting, the Kurgan returned. Ramirez, sitting with Heather, leapt to the challenge, katana in hand. In a titanic battle the two Immortals traded blow after blow, blasting away rock and wall and bringing Connor and Heather's stone tower down in a massive avalanche of wreckage. The turning point came when Ramírez, although leaving a permanent scar in Kurgan's neck, found himself trapped by the sheer physical power of his opponent. Kurgan, grabbing the blunt side of Ramírez's katana, easily pinned his old adversary's sword arm and brought his lethal broadsword up for the killing stroke. Ramírez summoned up one last bit of anger, spitting on his enemy before the blade took his head. Connor buried Ramírez next to his ruined home in Glencoe, and, after Heather died, he buried her alongside him. He used his own broadsword as Heather's grave marker, keeping his mentor's katana in rememberance of his old friend. =Personality= Ramirez was very much the sophisticated man for his time. He was very appricative of art and culture in the "modern world," often dismissing Connor's Scottish customs as crude and barbaric. He was a ladies man; and would regale Heather about his many exploits, including the story of how he swung into a balcony room to woo the lady of his affections, only to wind up with a different lady staying there at the time. His charm and wit were counterpointed, however, by his somber half, which prompted him to shun marriage and committed relationships. =Fighting Style= =Watchers= }} Category:Immortals